• Home

Malaysian expats fly home to cast their votes

ABU DHABI — A large number of Malaysians residing in the UAE had travelled to their country to cast votes in yesterday's parliamentary elections, the third secretary of the Malaysian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Fo'ad Haji Ismail, told Khaleej Times.

"Those who are here will cast their votes at the embassy after we receive their postal ballot papers from the Election Commission (EC) in our country," said Ismail.

Ismail said Malaysians entitled to postal voting procedures, mainly students and mission employees, would be urged to come to the mission offices to cast their votes as soon as the ballot papers were received. For casting the votes, they had to register at the embassy as well as back home, he said.

"Our government sends us the postal ballot papers of the registered people. Then the mission officials inform the person concerned and ask him/her to come cast the vote," Ismail explained.

"We hold the parliamentary elections once in five years. The Malaysian constitution gives the right to vote to those at 18 years or above," Ismail stated.

"We have a small Malaysian community in the UAE numbering around 4,500, including 1,500 in Abu Dhabi. They are professionals, not labourers," Ismail said.

"Most of the people here have gone to Malaysia to cast their votes. So, we expect around 500 people to cast their votes in Abu Dhabi," he added.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Consulate officials in Dubai also said that a few Malaysians in the emirate had travelled to their home country to cast their votes.

• UAE